The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-01-20
STANTON. VIRGINIA. JANUARY 90, 1887.
Newport News
AND THE CATTLE INDUSTRY OF VIRGINIA
-PLEURo PNEUMONIA IN CATTLE.
sALTv1LLE. VA. January S. 1887.

That Newport News, by reason of It'll
favorable location at the terminus of The
great Newport News and Mississippi
Valley railway, which stretches across the
continent, with connections penetrating
all the principal cattle-growing regions Of
the West and Southwest. is destined te
play all important part in the cattle com
merce Of this country, does not admit OF
doubt.
Your correspondent has for several
years, through the several national
| breeders associations of which he is a
member. and by personal appeals to the
authorities at Washington. epsleavored to
secure Government quarantine station
at Newport News. Four or five years ago
Congress made an appropriation for the
purpose of establishing number of such
stations at suitable ports upon the Atlantic
coast, but the commission to whom was
entrusted the location Of these stations
could see nothing to admire south of
Mason & Dion's line, and they were nearly
all located at northern ports, and the
money spent in the interests of northern
people and northern railroads.
That Newport News is most favoraby
located for such station must be ad-
mitted by all, and there are good reasons
why it Nonld speedily become the most
popular port upon the Atlantic coast fer
quarantiniDg imported cattle. At New
port News the rigorous winters of tie
northern ports, as well as the extreme
| heat Of the more southern ports, would he
avoided, food supplies would be found
much cheaper than in the larger cities of
the North, aud the facilities for shipping
to the great breeding districts of the coun-
try all that could be desired. The writer
has had large experience in shipping live
stock, and over various lines of transport
tation, but from none has he received
more consideration or more liberal treat
ment than from the management of what
| is now known as the Newport-News and
Mississippi Valley railway. The Govern
ment cannot much longer disregard the
wishes of very large proportion Of The
cattle importers of this country, and New
port News must at an early day become
| the leading import station for live stock
upon the Atlantic coast.
Already there are signs that this young
city will also become very important ex-
port station for cattle products. 1t is
stated upon what seems to be good author
| ity that company of northern capitalists,
with capital stock of a million dollars,
has purchased property near the city for
the purpose of establishing cattle yards
and engaging in slaughtering cattle for
export to European markets. This is only
the beginning of what should become a
leading industry in this important seaport
town.
During thelast nine months of the past
year there were exported from the United
States to Great Britain alone $4,000 live
cattle and over $52, O00, 900 worth of dressed
7 carcasses. For the week ending Deem
| Der 4th there were exported from Boston
465 live cattle and 1920 quarters of beef,
equal to 1,o45 cattle in all. The same
week there were exported from the city OF
New Y ork $50 live cattle and 5000 quar-
| tiers of dressed beef, equal to ], 900 cattle
in all. Is there any reason why Newport
| News should not export as many cattle as
Boston? Virginia grows more beeves
| than all the New England States to-
| gether. For almost q century the finest
Christmas beeves of the Philadelphia
markets have been annually furnished
from the Blue Grass pastures of South
west Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley,
I and of recent years very large number of
the best Virginia cattle have been pur-
chased by New York buyers for export TO
England. These cattle should certainly
reach the English markets at a much less
cost through Virginia ports than by way
Of New York.
Thousands of stock cattle are annually
shipped from Southwest Virginia to Penn
sylvania and Maryland corn-growers to be
ripened for the shauibles, and thousands
| of farmers in those States have grownrich
| by feeding Virginia cattle. Why should
not the farmers Of Eastern Virginia, who
| have been impoverishing themselves and
| their farms by tobacco raising, profit by
the example of their wiser brethren of
these States, purchase these cattle from
their Virginia breeders, ship them over
Virginia railroads to Virginia farms, feed
them upon Virginia corn, and send them
through Virginia ports. and in Virginia
ships, to the beef markets of the Old
World? Will the farmers of Virginia
embrace the opportunities that lie before
them, or will they compel their own mar
kets to draw their supplies from the cattle
growing regions of the West?
A farm that will grow touacco will grow
good corn, and at greatly reduced cost Of
cultivation. Plenty of corn, with small
quantity of hay or cornfodder, either dry
or ensilaged, will make fat cattle. Feed
ing cattle for the shambles is generally
very profitable, and under the most un-
favorable circumstances will pay good
price for the grain and other forage con
sumed, and enables the farmer to return
Ito the soil in the shape of manure the en-
tire product of his farm. The great fer
Utility of thousands of Pennsylvania and
| MARY duu Id LIS. uON VeIuCu az AAoAu sPAoo
to $500 per acre, is due to this system OF
farming. The motto of these farmers is
1.-THE more corn. the more cattle; the
more cattle, the more manure /: the MOI G
manure, the more money"
The writer recalls a story about an Ole
Shenandoah Valley farmer and cattle
feeder, who, having large family, was
anxious to provide farm for each of his
children, and to this end purchased farm
after farm until he was considerably EN-
barrassed with debt--so much SO thai
many of his neighbors were alarmed-an6
the report became current that the ole
man would ''break up.o Meanwhile an
other neighboring farm was placed upcI
the market, and it leaked out that the oil
man had an eye to it also. Upon hearing
this, a friend who lived some distance
away, and who felt deep interest in thu
welfare Of the old gentleman, determined
!, to visit him and demonstrate with him
: Upon arrival at the Homestead" he fount
, the old farmer with his sous and employee e.
and number of teams engaged in hauling
! out an immense quantity Of manure tina